


Shut up

by SuperEllen



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, And Dean doesn't like it, Casual Sex, Developing Relationship, Happy Ending, Hurt Sam Winchester, M/M, Maybe not so casual after all, Mutual Pining, Season/Series 05
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-07
Packaged: 2019-03-28 08:55:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,416
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13900620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuperEllen/pseuds/SuperEllen
Summary: Gabriel was annoying, and just a few days after he joined Team Free Will, Sam was already starting to second-guess his idea of having him help them stop the Apocalypse. Was his help worth everything the archangel was putting them through every single day? No, it probably wasn’t. Or maybe, just maybe, it was. Maybe Gabriel’s presence by their side meant so much more than he would have ever imagined.The one in which Sam finds that sex with Gabriel is the perfect way to let off some steam, without realizing that the archangel is probably much more than that.





	Shut up

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I started writing this a couple of weeks ago while I was at work, losing any kind of inspiration a couple of hours later. Then, in the past few days, I forced myself to continue writing it, because I knew what I wanted to happen in the story, so why couldn't I write it down? This is the final result, and I really hope it doesn't suck.
> 
> I would like to remind you that English is not my first language, so if you see any horrible mistakes I'm so sorry, please let me know and I'll correct them. I'm not using a beta reader, so there's always a limit to the amount of editing I can do on my own.
> 
> Also, I'm not sure about the rating. I don't think it's too explicit, but if you think that I should go for an Explicit rating, please let me know and I'll change it immediately.
> 
> If you like the story, you can always feel free to let me know with kudos and comments. I really appreciate the support I'm receiving for my writing. I love this fandom! :)

Sam couldn’t remember how all of that had started. Sure, he remembered when they found out that the Trickster was nothing other than the archangel Gabriel. He remembered Dean’s words leaving the archangel speechless, probably for the first time in his eternal life. Then, of course, he remembered, a few days later, Gabriel appearing in the back seat of the Impala while they were driving, arms behind his head, legs crossed at the ankle on the back of the front seats, boots almost in Sam’s face, lollipop in his mouth. Dean had almost crashed his Baby because of the unwanted surprise. But after that? Everything else that led to their current situation was nothing more than a blur. All he knew was that he’d been sleeping with Gabriel for quite some time now, and at a certain point he’d even started to like it more than he should have.

* * *

The first time Gabriel appeared inside their car, both Sam and Dean wondered how the archangel found them, considering that the warding Castiel had placed on their ribs was powerful enough to hide them from Michael and Lucifer. After having to deal with the Trickster on an almost daily basis, however, they soon stopped wondering how he was able to do things. He was just Gabriel, there were no better explanations for anything that concerned him.

Gabriel was annoying, and just a few days after he joined Team Free Will, Sam was already starting to second-guess his idea of having him help them stop the Apocalypse. Was his help worth everything the archangel was putting them through every single day? No, it probably wasn’t. Or maybe, just maybe, it was. Maybe Gabriel’s presence by their side meant so much more than he would have ever imagined.

It only took a few more weeks, in fact, before everything changed. And Sam could swear he _really_ didn’t know how that happened! It was a night like any other, during the time Cas was looking for God and Gabriel was hunting with Sam and Dean - or, to the more accurate, the archangel was pestering the brothers while they hunted. Considering how annoying Gabriel was, at the end of each hunt both humans always opted to find the nearest watering hole in order to get drunk out of their minds and forget about the archangel bothering them.

One night, however, Sam was still pretty sore after the hunt. Nothing serious, but he really wanted a good night sleep before taking off again in the morning, therefore he preferred to stay behind when Dean went out for a drink. Unfortunately, that meant that Gabriel stayed in the motel room with him, running his mouth non-stop and preventing Sam from falling asleep.

Sam really couldn’t take it anymore. He was about to get hysterical, he needed to do something, _anything_ to shut Gabriel up. Food wasn’t an option, considering how the archangel always talked with his mouth full. It was with an angry groan that, exasperated, Sam fisted his right hand around Gabriel’s shirt and pulled the archangel against him. His other hand went to the back of Gabriel’s neck, positioning the archangel well enough to crush their lips together with violence.

Sam used the hand behind Gabriel’s neck to keep him in place for a few seconds, lips forcefully pressed together. Then, as suddenly as it started, it ended. The young Winchester let go of the Trickster and rejoiced at the sight of Gabriel once again speechless.

“Finally, _finally_ , you shut up!” Sam stated, looking a shocked Gabriel in the eye. The Trickster archangel blinked a couple of times, then all he said was “Oh!” before he disappeared. Whatever.

“Peace and quiet! Sleep...” the hunter mumbled while letting himself fall back once again on his bed. A moment later he was asleep.

***

After the events of that night, Gabriel didn’t come back for quite some time. It was only at the end of their second hunt without any intromission from the archangel that Dean started to have doubts about what was going on. He confronted Sam on the matter, since his little brother was the last one of them to have seen Gabriel. The older Winchester was curious to know what was going on with their personal Trickster, maybe he was even a little worried about him, but he still didn’t think it could have been a good idea to pray to him; he just wanted to know for sure if Gabriel was okay, he sure as Hell didn’t want him back!

Sam, on the other hand, didn’t care at all. Things were better without the archangel around. He was feeling less tense, he was able to concentrate on the hunts. With Gabriel around, all he could think about was how the Apocalypse was his fault, how many lives he’d ruined by letting Lucifer out of the Cage. The Trickster used to run away and hide when things got bad, that much he knew, but having him stick around kept reminding Sam of how much he’d screwed up, since things were so bad that even Gabriel had to face the situation and do something to help.

So, when Dean asked him if he knew what was wrong with Gabriel, Sam just shrugged and acted as if nothing had happened. After all, in his mind what had happened was actually _nothing_. Looking for a way, any possible way, to shut Gabriel up, he’d kissed the archangel to stop him from running his mouth. It had worked. But seriously, it hadn’t meant anything. What person in their right mind would ever kiss Gabriel willingly? Okay, maybe his vessel didn’t look that bad, but the angel on the inside was hateful, and Sam really couldn’t stand him.

As unexpectedly as he’d run out of their lives, one day Gabriel came back. They were in the middle of a werewolf hunt and they had a meticulous plan to follow. Everything was in place, they just needed to wait for the perfect moment to act. But then, without them being able to foresee it, the archangel appeared out of nowhere and messed everything up. And okay, he killed the werewolf, but whatever. They could have done it just fine without his help. Hell, they were about to do it on their own! They didn’t need him to butt in.

Most of all, they didn’t need him to brag about how awesome he’d been while killing the werewolf. They hadn’t even left the scene yet, when Sam exploded and started yelling at the archangel. Dean tried to calm him down, but he failed miserably. Gabriel, on the other hand, was smiling when he started walking a little closer to the yelling Winchester. He stopped right in front of Sam, looking at the hunter in an incomprehensible way, before standing on his tiptoes. He surged forward, depositing a visibly hesitant peck on Sam’s lips.

“Dude, what the Hell?” Dean interjected, but he got ignored completely.

Gabriel’s gesture had been enough to shut Sam up completely. The hunter was silent, looking at the archangel with rage, disgust and most of all disbelief. He couldn’t believe that Gabriel had decided to repay him with his own medicine! His eyes opened wide in shock, and he let them fall for a moment on the archangel, who had already taken a couple of steps back from him. The Trickster was giggling like a child, hands in front of his mouth and eyes filled with mischief.

Sam opened his mouth to say something, but Gabriel was once again gone before he could manage to say anything. The young man then turned towards his brother, who was looking at him as if he’d grown two more heads. How could Sam blame him for that? Shaking his head in disgust, Sam rubbed his lips with the back of his hand until they were almost swollen, then he looked at his brother.

“I really need a drink.” Sam stated, starting to walk away from the dead werewolf still lying at their feet. Dean couldn’t agree more.

***

Since that second “shut up” kiss, things became more tense between Sam and Gabriel. The Trickster kept annoying both of the brothers with his presence and with his non-stop talking about pointless stuff. Dean somehow found a way to ignore him most of the time, sometimes he even found him funny. But Sam? No, Sam didn’t like having him around at all. And he was always pretty vocal about his dislike of the archangel, both to his face and when he wasn’t around.

“Is that because he kissed you? ‘Cause dude, that was an honest mistake on his part. Let’s face it, with the girly-ass things you do, everyone would think you’re gay!” Dean told him one day when the two of them were alone.

Sam narrowed his eyes, growling a little. “You’re not funny, Dean.” he stated, because what the Hell?

The younger Winchester still couldn’t believe that his brother had started to joke about the kiss that Gabriel had given him. After spending so much time with the Trickster, Dean had started to recognize his style, so the older hunter was 100% sure that the archangel had been joking when he kissed Sam. That was the reason why Dean could so easily laugh about it. For Sam, however, things were a little more complicated than that.

“Not trying to be funny, Sammy. Just stating a point.” Dean replied to Sam’s words, kicking his younger brother out of his own thoughts.

“Sure, jerk.” Sam said, annoyed.

“Whatever, bitch.” There was a smirk on Dean’s face.

***

Sam was furious. Dean was being unreasonable, always the self-sacrificing bastard. They were making progress on how to stop the Apocalypse, how to put Lucifer back inside the Cage. Even though he was a nightmare to have around, Gabriel had revealed himself to be actually useful when it came to putting together a plan. Collecting the rings of the Horsemen was actually a very good idea, one they could really work on. The problem was that Michael was getting antsy and he was starting to cause too much trouble.

They all knew that Michael was a problem, that they needed to find a way to distract him for a little while, to take his mind off their work. Dean, however, had to be out of his mind if he thought that Sam would have ever allowed him to act as Michael’s distraction. There was no way he was letting his brother put himself in so much danger. Not when the archangel wanted to wear him to the prom, just like Lucifer wanted to wear Sam.

They fought about it, and they did it loudly. Luckily, they were currently the only guests at the motel where they were staying, otherwise it might have been a problem to explain to the motel manager what the other customers might have heard during their argument. In the middle of the fight, Gabriel appeared in the room, looking from one brother to the other in confusion. He probably was surprised about what was happening. But Sam really didn’t care, because he had bigger fish to fry. There was no time to waste on the annoying Trickster.

Stating that he was going to do whatever he felt right, no matter what, Dean left the room and slammed the door behind himself. Sam growled at that, and a moment later he was throwing the first thing he could put his hands on - one of his own t-shirts - towards the closed door. He only spent a few seconds looking at the shirt on the floor, before he started pacing around the room like a caged animal. He needed to calm down, but how could he? There was no way he could stay calm when Dean was about to put himself in mortal danger.

“You know, all that rage is not good for your health.” Sam heard, and all of a sudden his head turned towards Gabriel.

The archangel was perched on top of the small table in a corner of the room, his legs dangling rhythmically under the table. There was a smile on his face, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. That sight only made Sam angrier. Why was Gabriel always there to mock him when something was wrong? Was the archangel’s life goal to be an annoying ass?

Without even realizing what he was doing, Sam crossed the space between himself and Gabriel with a couple of long strides, until he stopped in the other’s personal space. He grabbed the Trickster by the shirt and leaned forward, almost growling in the archangel’s face. Their heads were so close that they were almost touching, their breaths were mixing, their noses even slightly brushed against each other at some point. Gabriel was still smiling, and Sam hated it, he hated _him_.

“Why can’t you ever leave me alone? God, I _hate_ you!” Sam snapped, pressing his forehead against Gabriel’s. The archangel’s smile never faltered for a moment.

“Sure.” Gabriel replied, somehow managing to suppress an open laugh.

That was more than Sam could ever stand. He pushed forward until his lips met Gabriel’s with violence. He kept kissing voraciously, but at first the archangel seemed uncertain about what to do. Was he going to respond? The hunter wasn’t even sure if he wanted him to. But his body kept going, and before he could realize what he was doing he was sinking his teeth in the lower lip of the Trickster. Gabriel moaned at that, and Sam blacked out completely.

He’d never been one for one-night stands. He’d never been one for hate sex either - his only exception was Ruby, and even there he wasn’t completely sure it had been entirely hate what he’d felt. But kissing Gabriel, pushing his own body against the archangel, was a new feeling - one Sam liked, actually. Gabriel’s vessel was small, but he was still an angel, so his body was firm and impossible to move. Sam pressed against him with all his might, and all he got was yet another moan from the archangel.

What the Hell was he doing? Why was he kissing Gabriel as if his life depended on it? Yet he found himself unable to stop, because it actually felt good. It felt so good, in fact, that his body was starting to relax.

Sam was pouring all of his rage in the way his tongue and teeth were assaulting Gabriel’s mouth, but the archangel didn’t seem about to complain. A few minutes later, however, the Trickster pushed him away with so much strength that Sam had to take a couple of steps back to avoid falling on his ass. At first he thought that Gabriel had had enough of it, of _him_ , but he was wrong. A single look at the archangel showed him that Gabriel had lust all over his face, almost as if he wanted to eat the hunter alive. Sam shivered at that sight; it was disturbingly exciting.

Gabriel jumped down from the table and advanced with such confidence that even Sam found him intimidating. In that moment, Gabriel really seemed one of Heaven’s greatest weapons. Without even realizing what he was doing, Sam started to walk backwards, not sure that he wanted the archangel to eliminate the distance between them again. Gabriel, however, kept advancing, until the back of Sam’s legs hit one of the beds. That was the moment Gabriel pushed him again, making him fall.

Sam landed on the bed, and a moment later Gabriel was on top of him, kissing his neck. It was enough for any doubt to leave Sam’s mind. Fuck everything, he wanted Gabriel. At least for now.

“Take your clothes off.” the hunter said. It was more a demand than a suggestion, but the Trickster obliged with a snap of his fingers, a smirk on his face.

Soon they were both naked, touching and kissing every inch of each other’s bodies that they could reach. Sam almost cried because of the pleasure when Gabriel’s mouth found its way around his cock, and it took all of his self-control not to come right down the archangel’s throat as soon as Gabriel started sucking.

Sam tried to take control, he really did, but it was pointless. Gabriel was keeping him pinned to the mattress without any effort, and the human couldn’t deny it was arousing. He was big and strong, yet the archangel had the strength to hold him down. Sam could lose his mind just because of that.

Before he could even bring himself to think about the consequences of what they were doing, Gabriel already had two fingers curled inside Sam’s ass, touching his prostate and making him scream in pleasure. At that point, the hunter stopped caring completely about the person he was in bed with. All he could think about was how good he was feeling, and how much he didn’t want it to stop.

Gabriel was disgustingly good in bed. While the archangel was pounding into him at the right angle to make him see stars, Sam found himself thinking that it was a shame to even make such a sex god wear clothes. Gabriel needed to be naked, in his bed, _inside him_ , for the rest of eternity. And maybe Sam’s mind wasn’t making any sense, but he couldn’t be blamed for that, considering that he ended up coming twice in less than one hour, before Gabriel finally let himself go as well.

Basking in the afterglow, Sam had a huge grin on his face. His body was aching all over, but it didn’t matter. He couldn’t even care that the bed he’d just had sex on was Dean’s. All of the rage he’d felt before was gone, leaving him with an internal peace that felt like it was never going to go away.

Sam was lying on his back, staring at the ceiling, trying to think straight for the first time in at least a couple of hours. He needed to convince himself that there was no way the wonderful experience he’d just had was ever going to be repeated. The problem was that his body craved a second round. Had he always looked at things the wrong way? Should he have taken the archangel to bed from the beginning, instead of leaving the tension grow until it exploded? Gabriel had provided a wonderful relief from his stress.

With eyes full of glee, Sam turned his head to look at Gabriel. The archangel was lying on his right side, elbow on the mattress and head resting in his hand. He was looking at the hunter with curiosity.

“What?” Sam asked, but Gabriel only answered with a shrug.

“This is never going to happen again.” the hunter tried again, but he wasn’t even convinced himself about what he was saying. Gabriel only snorted in response.

***

Sleeping with Gabriel had been surprisingly good, and an incredibly calming experience, but Sam was adamant on never doing it again. That was the reason why he physically tried to kick himself a few days later, right after sleeping with Gabriel for the second time. This time around, rage had not been the reason why the kissing had started. Gabriel had just kept staring at Sam, and as soon as they were alone the hunter had kissed the archangel. As simple as that.

What was wrong with him? It didn’t matter if it was the best sex of his life, it was still the Trickster he was sleeping with! Apparently, however, his body didn’t seem to be ready to follow what his head was thinking. Sleeping with Gabriel made him feel good, that was the reason why Sam did it again. And again. And again.

At some point, he even stopped questioning himself about why it was happening. He just went with it, taking advantage of every single time that Dean wanted to get a drink after a hunt in order to stay behind with Gabriel. After all, sex with the archangel always put him in a great mood. Even when he was at his crankiest, he was sure that a few hours naked with Gabriel were enough to make him feel better.

In the beginning, after sex they barely exchanged a few words. They either lay in bed naked ignoring each other, or they just got dressed as if nothing had ever happened. It was their routine, and it was comforting for Sam to know that he could count on it. He knew that it was everything he needed, or at least that was what he thought. The truth was that he wasn’t aware of what he really wanted.

It was their seventh fuck when Gabriel, after giving Sam yet another amazing orgasm, let himself slide down one side of the hunter instead of climbing down completely. That resulted in Gabriel lying right against Sam’s side, while they usually had a few inches between them. Feeling the heat of a body so close to his own, Sam wrapped an arm around Gabriel’s body without even thinking about what he was doing. In response, the archangel started to caress that arm in a mechanical gesture.

It didn’t take long to go from there to actually cuddling after sex. Sex with Gabriel was nothing for Sam, just a way to let off the steam. And the cuddling was just a sign of his human weakness, because after an amazing orgasm he just needed to hug something to relax even more. He didn’t want to be cuddled by Gabriel, it was just something that he was too tired to refuse. After all, it didn’t mean anything for Gabriel either. The archangel was probably just moving out of habit, because it was appropriate to cuddle one’s partner after a session of mind-blowing sex.

It was nothing more than sex. Or maybe it was. Maybe Sam’s heart was pounding in his chest every time he knew he was going to have some alone time with Gabriel. Maybe he couldn’t wait for the archangel to wrap him in his arms and caress his hair after sex. Maybe he couldn’t wait for the passion to wear down and for their kisses to become slower, sweeter.

Okay, so maybe he was fooling himself. Sex with Gabriel wasn’t just sex, it probably had never been since the beginning. It was so much more.

***

A night like any other, after the hunt was over, Dean stated that he was going to a bar to take his mind off the Apocalypse for a little while. Sam and Gabriel looked at each other for a moment before the hunter told his brother that he was tired and he preferred to wait back at the motel.

“Suit yourself.” Dean said “By the way, the two of you are not fooling anyone. I know you’re screwing each other, and it’s _gross_!”

Sam started coughing the moment he heard his brother’s words. He wasn’t sure he was comfortable with his brother knowing what was going on between Gabriel and himself. That was, for starters, because he wasn’t sure about what that was in the first place. On the other hand, Dean had just informed them that he knew, but he hadn’t said anything about stopping what they were doing. Was that his way to say he was somehow okay with Sam and Gabriel fucking?

When Dean came back to their motel room, it was late and he was almost completely smashed. The moment he let his eyes fall on his brother’s bed, however, he immediately felt not drunk enough to face what was going on. He’d told them he knew about them, so they’d stopped hiding. Gabriel was sitting in Sam’s bed, back against the wall, naked from the waist up, the rest of him luckily hidden under the covers. Sam had his arms wrapped around Gabriel’s waist, his head resting on the archangel’s lap. He was sleeping with a genuine smile on his face, while Gabriel’s hand kept caressing his hair.

For several seconds the older Winchester remained glued on the spot just inside the door, unable to move, speak or even think. Then he shook his head with an irritated expression on his face and started shedding his jacket.

“Hi. Had a good night?” Gabriel greeted him with a casual tone, his hand never leaving Sam’s hair.

“You two are disgusting, you know that?” the human spat out, refusing to look the archangel in the eye. That said, he took a few steps towards the bathroom and locked himself inside. Gabriel couldn’t see him, but when the door closed behind him Dean was smiling a little. Gabriel was… well, _Gabriel_ , and that whole man on angel thing was highly inappropriate and disturbing, but for the first time in forever Sammy looked happy. He could accept a naked Trickster in his room from time to time, if that meant seeing that smile on his little brother’s face. They just had to put down some rules for a peaceful coexistence, because some things could really leave him scarred for life; and he’d been to Hell, so that was really saying something!

* * *

After Dean found out about them, Gabriel started to stick around longer after sex. Every night, now, Sam took the habit of falling asleep in Gabriel’s arms. He didn’t care if Dean was there or not, as long as Gabriel was inside his bed. When Dean went out, they had sex as always. When the older hunter stuck around, however, they just went to bed together, cuddling without having sex first.

The more Gabriel was giving him, the more Sam wanted. He needed to feel Gabriel closer, to be able to kiss him whenever he wanted. Things, however, weren’t progressing in that direction. Even though the archangel acted like the perfect boyfriend when they were under the sheets, Sam couldn’t keep on fooling himself. Gabriel _wasn’t_ his boyfriend. Outside of the bed, Gabriel always kept his distance, barely even looking in his direction.

To Gabriel, Sam was nothing more than something to do to pass time at night. He was sure about that. And it was starting to hurt, because at some point along the way Sam had started to want so much more than sex with the archangel. He wanted the real deal. He wanted to go out on a date, to hold hands and kiss every time he wanted. He needed for Gabriel to want him the way Sam wanted him. In other words, he wanted for Gabriel to be his, just like he knew that he himself already belonged almost completely to the archangel.

Without the hunter even realizing it, months passed. Neither Dean nor Castiel said a word to Sam about his “relationship” with Gabriel, and he was fine with that. One day, however, the older Winchester took advantage of the time he was spending alone with his little brother inside the Impala to bring up the subject. Sam wasn’t expecting it at all, so he was taken by surprise by Dean’s words.

“I don’t want to intrude, but is everything okay with you and Gabriel?” Dean asked, and Sam immediately tensed up in the passenger seat.

“What do you mean?” the younger brother inquired in return. Dean shrugged and took a moment to think about what to say next.

“I don’t know, you seem different. I even accepted the idea of the two of you together because I thought it was making you happy. Now I’ve noticed that sometimes you look at him during the hunts, and every time you seem to be miserable.” the older hunter stated.

It was strange for Sam to hear Dean start a conversation about feelings. A conversation Sam really didn’t want to have, nonetheless. What had happened to “no chick-flick moments”? He would have gone just fine with Dean’s motto, in that moment. Was his brother trying to torture him, or something? It wasn’t fair!

“I don’t know what this fuss is about. It’s just sex, Dean. You have sex all the time. Why should it be any different for me? Just because I’m having it with an archangel?” Sam asked, and Dean shook his head.

“I have sex with strangers. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but Gabriel is family, and it’s always the same guy. And you _cuddle_ Sam, cuddle! I’m an expert of casual sex, and let me tell you that what you are having with Gabriel is _not_ casual. And I know that it’s none of my business, but it’s starting to affect the way you act during hunts. If you continue getting distracted by looking at Gabriel like he kicked your puppy, someday you’ll get hurt, it’s all I’m saying!”

Sam snorted in response to Dean’s words, letting the subject drop. After that, the drive continued in an awkward silence. The younger Winchester even ended up faking sleep in order to avoid any further interactions with his brother.

***

Dean had been prophetic. No more than a couple of days after their talk inside the Impala, a hunt went badly. Castiel was with them as well, and the group of two humans and two angels was infiltrating a demon lair in order to kill a few of Lucifer’s followers. Before killing the demons, they also had to force them to talk about the whereabouts of Pestilence, the next Horseman on their hit list. They needed to be concentrated on what they were doing, in order to carry out their task.

The problem was that Sam wasn’t focused at all. He kept getting distracted with thoughts of Gabriel, even though the archangel was right there next to him. Things between them were apparently good, but they weren’t enough. Sam wanted so much more, and that thought was never leaving his head, not even while they were hunting. That was when the younger Winchester got hurt.

It all happened very quickly. Sam spaced out, then he heard someone calling his name. Next thing he knew, he was lying on the filthy floor, bleeding, someone applying pressure on his head wound. His sight was blurry at best, he couldn’t see very well what was happening around him. He could see the shape of people surrounding him, probably Dean and the angels, but nothing more.

Next thing he knew, Sam woke up in a motel bed. The first thing he could see was Castiel, sitting in a chair right in front of his bed. He blinked, then his eyes fell on Dean, who was nervously pacing around the room with a bottle of scotch in his hand. The younger human tried to sit up, but he barely managed to move at all. A whine escaped his lips at the attempt, attracting the attention of the two in the room.

A second later Dean was at his side, asking questions about how he was feeling. Sam didn’t think he could manage to talk, but he tried anyway. A few sounds came out, but no words. It made the older Winchester worry even more, at least until Cas checked on him again and confirmed that he was just fine, just a little confused because of how hard he’d hit his head.

Soon, Sam started to feel a little better. Looking around, he realized that Gabriel wasn’t there. Of course, what was he expecting? It wasn’t like he and Gabriel were a couple or anything of the sort. The archangel didn’t have any obligation to wait at his bedside for him to get back into the right shape for sex. He was only fooling himself for thinking that the Trickster would be concerned about him in the first place.

He sighed, ignoring what Dean and Castiel were saying. It wasn’t important, not when all his mind could concentrate on was the fact that Gabriel wasn’t by his side. And then, right on cue, the archangel appeared. His golden eyes had a determination in them that Sam had never seen before. He looked serious, and his voice sounded serious too.

“Can I have a moment alone with Sam, please?” he asked, looking from Dean to Castiel.

The angel hesitated for a moment, then he nodded in silence. The hunter, on the other hand, wasn’t equally compliant.

“No, there’s no way I’ll let you fuck my brother when he’s like this.” Dean accused, and Sam felt the strong need to sink deeper into the mattress and disappear. Seriously? Was his brother going to embarrass him to death?

“Sex is the last thing on my mind right now, believe me. I have no intention of fucking your brother.” the archangel replied to Dean’s words, and maybe Sam’s heart broke a little.

Why were they going from “a good fuck” to “nothing at all” so quickly? Judging by the serious look on Gabriel’s face, the archangel really had no interest in having sex with him. Had he gotten bored of Sam? He was nothing more than a simple human, after all. Was everything already over between them?

Dean didn’t seem to be entirely convinced by Gabriel’s statement, but he probably gave the archangel the benefit of the doubt, because he only gave him a warning before leaving the motel room, Castiel right behind him. And then they were alone. Sam kept staring at Gabriel from his bed.

Before the human could do or say anything, Gabriel slowly started to move in his direction. He walked towards the bed, only to sit down on the mattress in a position that allowed him to be face to face with Sam. The hunter immediately started to move, trying once again to sit up. A strong hand against his chest stopped him, gently pushing him back down.

“Stay down, you need to rest.” Gabriel said. Sam tried to protest, but he was cut off the moment he opened his mouth “And shut up. I’ll talk now.”

Silence followed Gabriel’s words. The archangel seemed nervous, so out of character for someone like the Trickster. He was torturing his hands, and Sam was about to point out that he was ready to listen if only Gabriel was going to talk. That was when the archangel finally spoke.

“You scared the crap out of me today, to the point I needed some time alone to think. I can’t deny I’ve always had a soft spot for you, but recently things have changed for me. I know that for you it’s just sex between us, but I really care about you. So please, _please_ , don’t die on me!” the archangel said, his voice becoming pleading at the end.

Sam’s heart was beating so fast he was about to have a heart attack. He still couldn’t believe he’d heard correctly. Did Gabriel really care about him for something more than sex? Did he really think that Sam was the one who wasn’t interested in more than some horizontal activity? Was he _crazy_? Forcing himself to move this time, the hunter finally managed to sit up. One of his hands was propped against the mattress to support his weight, but he brought the other to grab Gabriel’s arm with all the strength he could manage. The archangel looked at him in confusion.

“You care. You have feelings for me. I didn’t think you could. Ever.” Sam started to say, maybe a little too excited. Probably thinking that the human was making fun of him, Gabriel turned to face away from him.

“This was a mistake.” the archangel said while abruptly standing up. Sam was still smiling.

“I love you, you idiot!” Sam stated, and he was the first one to be surprised by the words that came out of his mouth. Love? Was he really in love with Gabriel? But saying it felt so natural, so _right_. So maybe yes, it was also true.

When Gabriel turned once again towards him, the hunter was smiling sincerely. He saw the worry gradually leave the archangel’s face, until Gabriel was finally smiling back at him.

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Gabriel asked. He sat back on the bed, closer to Sam than he was before. He lifted his right hand to caress Sam’s cheek, his movements slow, almost hesitant.

Sam suppressed a laugh. “Gabriel… Shut up.” was all he said before leaning forward and capturing the archangel’s mouth with his own.

When Dean and Castiel came back to the motel, later that night, they found Sam peacefully asleep in his bed. Gabriel was lying on his side on top of the covers, caressing Sam’s hair. He lifted his head when he heard the door open and then close again, but he didn’t stop what he was doing.

“He’s fine. See? No sex.” he mockingly said.

Dean rolled his eyes and went to bed, while Castiel just sat awkwardly on a chair in a corner of the room. Looking at his little brother and then at the older Winchester, Gabriel thought that maybe he could have done something about those two as well.

***

The following day, Sam woke up to breakfast in bed. The first thing he saw was a smiling archangel, whose eyes were filled of the purest affection. When he noticed the tray full of food, the only thing he could think of doing was to kiss Gabriel. It was just a small peck on the lips, but it held a lot of meaning. It was the first time they kissed in the light of day, and in front of Dean and Castiel. The older Winchester even faked the act of throwing up, but it was irrelevant. Nothing mattered when compared to how lucky Sam was feeling.

He’d first kissed Gabriel because he was looking for a way to shut him up. Then, he’d started sleeping with the archangel to let go of some stress, and it had worked quite well for some time. It had worked until he’d started to crave more, afraid to say anything about it, certain that Gabriel only cared about the sex. But it wasn’t like that, it probably had never been.

It didn’t matter what he had to go through in order to get where he was. The only important thing was that he could finally be with Gabriel. Even though the Apocalypse was still ongoing, even though he was supposed to be Lucifer’s vessel unless they succeeded in stopping the fight, Sam Winchester still managed to be happy.


End file.
